Need opinions on Acura dealer damaging my NSX

[paulviriyapan]

Took the NSX to Weir Canyon Acura in Anaheim Hills to get a few things done; nothing mechanical, just replacing trunk shocks and some interior trim. While I was there I had them do some paintless dent remova since I figured that they would know how to work on the NSX's aluminum body. It came out to $200 for two dents. I thought it was alot higher than the $65 per panel I had been quoted at other places, but I chose to pay the higher price because I didn't want to run into any 'problems' that could arise at some of the smaller shops. In other words, I feel more comfortable with the dealer handling it, and that peace of mind is worth the additional cost.

They fixed the dent on the driver's rear qtr panel fine, and I have no complaints on that. However, I had a dent on the trunk that was caused by me leaving the airbox in the trunk (I installed a K&N filter) and closing the trunk when the corner of the airbox was higher than the trunk when I slammed it shut. OUCH!

Anyways, I get it back, and the dent is magically gone. However, I look on the underside, and they had 'pecked' an inch long mark on the inside of the trunk to fix it, which was down to bare metal at some points. I attached a pic, but it is hard to see as it is a black paintjob. Trust me, it's there and it's an inch long.

I go back to the dealer and he suggests I buy one of those 'touch up' paint things and fix it myself. Now I have used those things before, and no way in hell it's gonna look the way it did before they started to 'repair it'.

My question is: is it wrong for me to make them fix it to the way it was before they took it in? I have never used paintless dent removal before, and I don't know if this was what was supposed to happen or what. They never warned me beforehand. Any imput would be appreciated.

 

[QWKSLVR]

Paul,

no offense, but maybe your expectation of ding repair is unrealistic? I have had 2 dings removed this way and I have seen the tools. There is nothing "magic" about the process as there is physical manipulation of the aluminum using metal tools involved. So while the exterior will look perfect, there is no expectation or guarantee that the underside will come out unscathed. If this repair had been on your fender for instance, there's probably a blemish on the underside as well but you're not likely to ever see that unless you remove the fender. So although I'm no expert, I would think that touching up a small scratch on the underside that will never be seen w/ some touch up paint is a reasonable fix versus the trouble of any complications of poor body/paint work/downtime/insurance claim getting the underside repaired & repainted. BTW, don't ever assume that an Acura dealer will provide superior service. In many cases, jobs like ding removal are subcontracted to an outside vendor anyway and then charged a mark up courtesy of Acura. I always do my homework and find the most skilled vendor for whatever particular task and go w/ their experience in performing that task. In most cases, this search never leads me to the Acura dealer. It's sad to say, but the only thing I might let my local Acura dealer perform is an oil change on my NSX, just like I would never have a stereo installed at say a Best Buy in my NSX! Just my 2 cents!

 

[ANYTIME]

Paul,
Being in the business, I can probably shed some light on this. Your dent was outward, correct? If that was the case, then nothing would have needed to be done from the inside, just some manipulating the dent back down from the outside only, accomplished without marring the paint. Normal inward dents do leave tool marks on the metal, which are usually hidden from view(there are special plastic tips now that prevent visible areas from getting scratched). I would expect the dealer to paint the small triangle that was affected by the work that was done to your car, and settle for nothing less. This can be accomplished in a very small time frame and at very little cost to the dealer. Please tell me you charged this on a credit card and put it into dispute until the matter is solved to your liking. PM me if you have anymore questions or concerns.
Take care,
John

 

[QWKSLVR]

Paul,
Being in the business, I can probably shed some light on this. Your dent was outward, correct? If that was the case, then nothing would have needed to be done from the inside, just some manipulating the dent back down from the outside only, accomplished without marring the paint. Normal inward dents do leave tool marks on the metal, which are usually hidden from view(there are special plastic tips now that prevent visible areas from getting scratched). I would expect the dealer to paint the small triangle that was affected by the work that was done to your car, and settle for nothing less. This can be accomplished in a very small time frame and at very little cost to the dealer. Please tell me you charged this on a credit card and put it into dispute until the matter is solved to your liking. PM me if you have anymore questions or concerns.
Take care,
John

Ah, good point ANYTIME, it was an inside-out ding. So logically, the manipulation should have only be applied from the outside down. However, one of my dings was the same way, and the technique for fixing it was to actually press the outward ding inward using a plastic tap thereby making that ding an outside-in ding, and then fixing that "new" ding from the underside-out.

Paul, you might want to see if the dealer will agree to pick up the tab on getting the guys that they subcontract to do touch-up airbrush work on the used cars they have on the lot to airbrush & colormatch the scratch professionally. These are done on the spot and are blended way better than using touch-up paint yourself.

 

[randall]

i think the term damage is strong.i'm sure they were trying to help you out.life is to short to worry about a one inch scratch on the underneath side of your trunk lid.go get some black touch up paint and no one would know or even care.

 

[MiamieNeSeX]

i think the term damage is strong.i'm sure they were trying to help you out.life is to short to worry about a one inch scratch on the underneath side of your trunk lid.go get some black touch up paint and no one would know or even care.

Amen